A method of defect management for managing on a block-by-block basis a defective area in an information-recording medium is disclosed. The medium has a user-data area, a sparing area, and a defect-management information are. The block is of a predetermined size. The method includes the steps of, when a defective block in which the defective area is included is set to be replaced with a sparing block of the sparing area: dividing the sparing block into multiple subblocks so as to set identifying information, for identifying a sparing subblock in which data are replaced and a non-sparing subblock in which data are not replaced, as defect-management information; and setting block-management information, including information regarding the defective block and the sparing block, and information regarding an area in which non-sparing data not replaced with the sparing block are stored, as defect-management information.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of defect management for managing on a block-by-block basis a defective area in an information-recording medium having a user-data area, a sparing area, and a defect-management information area, the block being of a predetermined size, when a defective block in which the defective area is included is set to be replaced with a sparing block of said sparing area, comprising the steps of: dividing said sparing block into a plurality of subblocks so as to set identifying information, for identifying one of the sparing subblocks in which data are replaced and a non-sparing subblock in which data are not replaced, as defect-management information; and setting block-management information, including information regarding said defective block and said sparing block, and information regarding an area in which non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block are stored, as defect-management information.
2. The method of defect management as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of: storing said block-management information and said identifying information in said information-recording medium.
3. A computer program stored on a non-transitory recording medium for use in an information-reproducing apparatus for reproducing data from the information-recording medium in which defect management is performed with the method of defect management as claimed in claim 1 , causing a computer for controlling of said information-reproducing apparatus, when a reproducing address represents the non-sparing subblock in the sparing block, to execute the program comprising the step of: determining a block to be reproduced based on the block-management information set in said defect management.
4. A method of reproduction for reproducing data from the information-recording medium in which defect management is performed with the method of defect management as claimed in claim 1 , when a reproducing address represents the non-sparing subblock in the sparing block, further comprising the step of: determining a block to be reproduced based on the block-management information set in said defect management.
5. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said determining step determines, based on address information of the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block is stored, the block to be reproduced.
6. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said determining step determines, when the area in which the non-sparing data that is not replaced with said sparing block is stored belongs to the user-data area, a defective block corresponding to said sparing block as the block to be reproduced.
7. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 4 , wherein: said block-management information includes information that the area in which the non-sparing data are stored cannot be specified; and said determining step determines, when the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block are stored cannot be specified, that the block to be reproduced is unknown.
8. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 4 , wherein: multiple sets of the block-management information are stored in the defect-management information area of said information-recording medium, the respective block-management information sets including information as to whether the sparing block is defective; and said determining step extracts out of said multiple block-management information sets one of the block-management information sets, having the same defective block address as an address of a defective block corresponding to a sparing block to which said reproducing address belongs and in which the sparing block is defective, so as to determine the block to be reproduced based on the extracted block-management information.
9. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said determining step, when the number of said extracted block-management information sets is one, determines the sparing block in the one block-management information set as the block to be reproduced.
10. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said determining step, when multiple of said extracted block-management information sets exists, determines that the block to be reproduced is unknown.
11. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 4 , wherein: said block-management information includes information as to whether the area in which the non-sparing data are stored is a defective block corresponding to a sparing block; and said determining step, when the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block is a defective block corresponding to said sparing block, determines the defective block corresponding to said sparing block as the block to be reproduced.
12. The method of reproduction as claimed in claim 4 , wherein: said block-management information includes information as to whether the area in which the non-sparing data are stored is a defective block corresponding to a sparing block; and said determining step, when the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block is not a defective block that corresponds to said sparing block, determines that the block to be reproduced is unknown.
13. A computer program stored on a non-transitory recording medium for use in an information-recording apparatus for recording data in an information-recording medium having a user-data area, a sparing area, and a defect-management information area, the sparing area being managed on a block-by-block basis, the block being of a predetermined size, causing a computer for controlling said information-recording apparatus to execute, when a defective block in which the defective area is included is set to be replaced with a sparing block of said sparing area, the program comprising the steps of: dividing said sparing block into a plurality of subblocks so as to set identifying information for identifying one of the sparing subblocks in which data are replaced and a non-sparing subblock in which data are not replaced as defect-management information; and setting block-management information, including information regarding said defective block and said sparing block, and information regarding an area in which non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block are stored, as defect-management information.
14. The computer program stored on a non-transitory recording medium as claimed in claim 13 , further causing said computer for controlling to execute the step of storing said block-management information and said identifying information in said information-recording medium.
15. An apparatus for information recording for recording data in an information-recording medium having a user-data area, a sparing area, and a defect-management information area, a defective area being managed on a block-by-block basis, the block being of a predetermined size, the apparatus comprising: replacing means for replacing a defective block in which the defective area is included, with a sparing block of said sparing area; identifying-information setting means for dividing said sparing block into a plurality of subblocks so as to set identifying information, for identifying one of the sparing subblocks in which data are replaced and a non-sparing subblock in which data are not replaced, as defect-management information; and management-information setting means for setting block-management information, including information regarding said defective block and said sparing block, and information regarding an area in which non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block are stored, as defect-management information.
16. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the management-information setting means sets, as the information regarding the area in which said non-sparing data are stored, address information of the area in which said non-sparing data are stored.
17. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 15 , wherein, when said defective block belongs to said sparing area and data in said defective block are partially replaced, said management-information setting means sets, as said address information, dummy address-information indicating that the area in which said non-sparing data are stored cannot be specified.
18. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 15 , wherein said management-information setting means sets, as information regarding the area storing said non-sparing data, information regarding an area in which said area storing said non-sparing data.
19. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 18 , wherein, when said defective block belongs to said user-data area and data of said defective block are set to be partially replaced, said management-information setting means sets information indicating that said area in which said area storing said non-sparing data belongs is said user-data area.
20. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 18 , wherein, when said defective block belongs to said sparing area and in the defective block all data are replaced, and data of said defective block are partially replaced, said management-information setting means sets information indicating said area in which said area storing said non-sparing data belongs is said sparing area.
21. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 18 , wherein, when said defective block belongs to said sparing area and data in said defective block are partially replaced, said management-information setting means sets information indicating said area in which said area storing said non-sparing data belongs cannot be specified.
22. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 18 , wherein: multiple sets of the block-management information are stored in the defect-management information area, the respective block-management information sets including information as to whether the sparing block is defective; and when said defective block belongs to said sparing area and in the defective block all data are replaced, and data of said defective block are partially replaced, said management-information setting means further changes to a dummy address a defective block address in, out of said multiple block-management information sets, a block-management information set having the same defective block address as an address of said defective block and in which the sparing block is defective.
23. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 18 , wherein said management-information setting means further sets, as said block-management information, information indicating as to whether said area storing said non-sparing data is the defective block corresponding to said sparing block.
24. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 23 , wherein said management-information setting means, when partially replacing data within said user-data area, sets the information indicating that said area storing said non-sparing data is the defective block corresponding to said sparing block.
25. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 23 , wherein said management-information setting means, when partially replacing data within said sparing area, sets the information indicating that said area storing said non-sparing data is not the defective block corresponding to said sparing block.
26. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising information-storing means for storing said block-management information and said identifying information in said information-recording medium.
27. The apparatus for information recording as claimed in claim 26 , wherein said information-storing means stores said block-management information and said identifying information in said defect-management area.
28. An apparatus for information reproduction-for reproducing data from the information-recording medium in which defect management is performed with the method of defect management as claimed in claim 1 , when a reproducing address represents the non-sparing subblock in the sparing block, comprising: determining means for determining, based on block-management information which is set in said defect management, a block to be reproduced; and a processing apparatus for processing according to said determining.
29. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 28 , wherein said determining means determines the block to be reproduced based on address information of the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block are stored.
30. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 29 , wherein: said block-management information includes information indicating that the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block are stored cannot be specified; and said determining means, when the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block are stored cannot be specified, determines that the block to be reproduced is unknown, and wherein the processing apparatus reports an error.
31. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 28 , wherein said determining means, when the area in which the non-sparing data that is not replaced with said sparing block is stored belongs to the user-data area, determines the defective block corresponding to said sparing block as the block to be reproduced.
32. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 28 , wherein: multiple sets of the block-management information are stored in the defect-management information area of said information-recording medium, the respective block-management information sets including information as to whether the sparing block is defective; said determining means extracts out of said multiple block-management information sets one of the block-management information sets, having the same defective block address as an address of a defective block corresponding to a sparing block to which said reproducing address belongs and in which the sparing block is defective, so as to determine the block to be reproduced based on the extracted block-management information.
33. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 32 , wherein said determining means, when the number of said extracted block-management information sets is one, determines the sparing block included in the block-management information set as the block to be reproduced.
34. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 32 , wherein: said determining means, when multiple of said extracted block-management information sets exists, determines that the block to be reproduced is unknown; and said processing apparatus reports an error.
35. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 28 , wherein: said block-management information includes information as to whether the area in which the non-sparing data are stored is a defective block corresponding to a sparing block; and said determining means, when the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block corresponds to said sparing block, determines the defective block corresponding to said sparing block as the block to be reproduced.
36. The apparatus for information reproduction as claimed in claim 28 , wherein: said block-management information includes information as to whether the area in which the non-sparing data are stored is a defective block corresponding to a sparing block; said determining means, when the area in which the non-sparing data not replaced with said sparing block is not a defective block corresponding to said sparing block, determines that the block to be reproduced is unknown; and said processing apparatus reports an error.
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March 8, 2005
July 19, 2011
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